Justo L. González and Zaida Maldonado Pérez. An Introduction to Christian Theology. Nashville: Abingdon, 2002. Pages 166. Paper, $18.00. ISBN: 0687095735

Reviewed by Alberto L. García

The purpose of this book is to offer a simple, straightforward introductory reading for those taking their first steps in the study of Christian theology. The authors' intention is to stimulate reflection within a wide ecumenical base, probing the strengths and weaknesses of various theological positions. They approach theology in this volume primarily as church historians and their book covers many theological topics in a clear, concise manner. One of the various strengths of this book is that González and Maldonado write with the vision of U.S. Hispanic theologians. They are also sensitive to the study of theology from a global perspective, from which they take their examples for theological discourse.

Jacobs, Janet Liebman. Hidden Heritage: The Legacy of the Crypto Jews. Berkeley:
University of California Press, 2002. Pages, x + 197. Paper, $19.95. ISBN: 0520235177

Reviewed by John T. Ford, C.S.C.

1492 was not only the year of the "discovery of the New World" by Columbus, but also the year in which an edict of Isabel and Fernando gave Spanish Jews the problematic option of converting to Roman Catholicism or going into exile. From the viewpoint of los reyes católicos, such an edict, coming at the conclusion of the Reconquista, formed part of their over-all strategy for unifying Spain, politically, economically, and religiously; in effect, their decision exemplified the principle cuius regio eius religio: rulers have the right to determine the practice of religion within their domains.

Introducing Latino/a Theologies. By Miguel A. De La Torre and Edwin David Aponte. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2001. Pages, xiii + 209. Paper, $20.00. ISBN: 1570754004

Reviewed by: Eduardo C. Fernandez, S.J. and Nancy Pineda-Madrid

Noting that there are few introductory texts to U.S. Latino/a Christianity, the authors have written a basic text “to introduce Christian concepts from the perspectives of Latinas/os in the United States and provide a foundation for more specific and advanced study of Hispanic Christian theology, culture, and religion” (2). The book contains an introduction, six chapters, a select annotated bibliography, and an index.

Faith Formation and Popular Religion: Lessons From the Tejano Experience.
By Anita de Luna, MCDP. With a forward by Timothy Matovina. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2002. Pages, xvii + 205. Paper, $26.95. ISBN: 0742513483

Reviewed by: Margaret C. Escobedo
The late Dr. Anita de Luna, MCDP, is well known to many readers of this journal. She taught in the Department of Religious Studies and was director of the Center for Women in Church and Society at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. She was on the faculty with the Goddess Gate program in Mexico City, has served as visiting professor at several universities, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Notre Dame. A frequent lecturer on Hispanic spirituality, culture, evangelization and religious life at national conferences, she published numerous articles in journals and periodicals, and was renowned for decades as an activist and leader for Hispanic ministry and formation and the advancement of Latinas and Latinos in church and society.

Barber, Michael. Ethical Hermeneutics: Rationality in Enrique Dussel’s Philosophy of Liberation. By Michael Barber. New York: Fordham University Press, 1998. Pages, xxiii + 184. Paper, $24. ISBN: 0823217043

Reviewed by: W.S.K. Cameron

Barber’s primary goal is to introduce Enrique Dussel to an English-speaking audience—a task long overdue. Dussel has unquestionably become a major voice in philosophy, theology, and history, yet he has not so far been the subject of a full-length book in English on the entirety of his philosophy. This inattention is ironic given the current philosophical fascination with the Other: such discussions remain hopelessly abstract unless informed by close attention to the particular others of whom we speak, who alone can remind us of the real consequences of our self-(mis)perception.

García, Albert L. and A. R. Victor Raj, eds. The Theology of the Cross for the 21st Century: Signposts for a Multicultural Witness. St. Louis: Concordia, 2002. Pages, 254. Paper, $14.99. ISBN: 0570052882

Reviewed by: Javier R. Alanís

As the subheading of this book indicates, the various essays on the theology of the cross are signposts for a multicultural witness for the 21st century. The thirteen essays explore the contemporary relevance of Luther's theology of the cross from the perspective of the tradition and experience of twelve multicultural theologians of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. This diversity in scholarship provides for a multifaceted expose of a central doctrine of the Lutheran tradition as reflected and embodied through the experiences of the writers and the particular cultures they represent and experience in ministry.

From the Editor:

What is Latino/a theology after all? There may have been a time when it was possible to answer that question in just a few words. If ever there was such a time though, it has long since passed, for the academic study of the religious experiences, beliefs, practices, values, and traditions of those whose lives are connected directly and indirectly to the legacy of Iberian colonization of the Americas has become a busy interdisciplinary crossroads. Scholars of Latino/a religion are bringing to bear a variety of theoretical frameworks to examine critically and appreciatively a wide range of issues, expanding the circle to include concerns and conversation partners such as those represented in the three most recent articles published in this journal.

Los estudios de teología práctica se están interesando cada vez más en lo que se ha denominado “catolicismo popular,” “religión popular,” y más a menudo “religiosidad popular.” En este estudio quiero presentar la religiosidad popular (RP) de un lugar concreto de España, que puede servir como referencia al estudiar otros aspectos de religiosidad popular en España, Hispanoamérica y entre los hispanos en Estados Unidos.

The twin categories of lo cotidiano and cultura have increasingly become touchstones of U.S. Latino/a theological discourse.[1] One sees this in the attention that U.S. Latino/a theologians have given to popular religion, which is at once an expression of lo cotidiano and cultura. These categories not only shed light on the lived experience of many U.S. Hispanics, but also they represent what U.S. Latino/a scholars have come to see as legitimate sites of liberation.

After receiving much attention in the 20th century from Latin American literary scholars, and more recently from theologians, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695) has begun to awaken interest from another area of academia: musicologists. Here I will be introducing some of their findings in considering the Mexican nun’s relationship to music, especially church music and theology.